CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle Two: A Captain's Journey

60 ∞ The Leaving

Shortlisted - Day 0001

Gareth put in the order and settled back in time for the window shields to open. The cabin lit up with bright sunshine, and they looked out at a blue sky. A white and glorious field of clouds spread out below them—little of Earth was visible. Dara leaned over her armrest to get a better view.

Eventually, the pilot came on over the air to announce all was well, that they could move about the cabin. Then he remarked on the sights they would pass as they traveled over an island, then land. Gareth tuned it out, resting his head back with eyes closed.

He didn't get to rest for long. The flight attendant came with the drinks, and he passed two to Janine before receiving his own. Engrossed in her sketchpad, Dara didn't pay any mind to the zero-G juice bulb her mother placed in the cupholder.

Again, Gareth saw an angel sketched with light strokes, taking up the whole page, larger than life. She stood to one side in a flowing robe, her wings spread wide in a protective curve. The angel looked down at something from her great height, a gentle sadness upon her face. Her eyes spoke of helpless sorrow for what she gazed upon.

The face drew Gareth in, and the world around him faded to silence. He tried to take in the image, to find a connection that had meaning for him, but nothing came to mind. Yet, somehow, he felt a connection, as if he should. Unsettled by his lack of success, he broke his focus on the angel. The world became real again, and he decided he was just being foolish. Resting his head back, he glanced at Harlin who appeared to be sleeping, and decided to do the same.

Gareth became alert again at the pilot's voice announcing they were entering the landing port air space. He sat upright in his seat, blinked a few times, and looked around. Harlin was still sleeping, but when Gareth turned, he found Dara watching him expectantly. There was a second's pause as they stared at each other, then she slid her sketch device into his lap.

He gazed down at the drawing—it was complete now. The angel filled in with such detail to seem real, yet she was transparent, the stars behind her clear. She gazed down upon an ancient sailing ship. It had seven masts with sails out to catch a strong wind, sailing across an ocean of calm swells, except where the bow cut the waves. He could barely make out a man in Captain's uniform standing at the very bow, the triangular jib sails above him.

Gareth didn't know how, but he knew there was great sorrow in the Captain's heart. Maybe he got that sense from the angel's face, but he didn't think so. By the tilt of the Captain's head, he was looking to the stars, performing his duty as a captain must. Once again, Gareth looked at the sky through the transparent angel, but he didn't recognize their pattern. They were of no sky he knew of, from anywhere in the solar system.

Disconcerted at how much the drawing affected him, he decided Dara must just be a prodigal artist, and that he was being foolish to feel such emotion from a sketch. He lifted the device to hand it back to Dara, but she stopped him. She touched the pad and brought up the menu for sharing the file, then pointed at the CLEOS computer on his wrist. Gareth understood immediately and smiled at her.

"Are you sure? This is very beautiful—do you want me to have it?"

Dara nodded, and Janine, who'd been taking notice, spoke up.

"She doesn't give away her art to just anybody, so please accept it. She wants you to have it—it may mean something to you one day."

Gareth smiled at Janine. "It already means something to me." He met Dara's gaze. "Thank you so much for this. I will treasure it always."

He held his wrist device to the sketch pad, and Dara touched the transfer cue. Their two devices sent out signals, connected, then initiated the transfer.